BBC Trust kicks off service review of bbc.co.uk

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 26-Jul-07, 12:15

LONDON - The BBC Trust has started its first service review of the BBC's online service bbc.co.uk, beginning with a three-month consultation period.

The trust will look at the service's role, how it is contributing to the BBC's public purposes, the distinctiveness of the service and the way it should respond to changes in user expectations and the web environment.

The new BBC Charter gives the trust responsibility for issuing service licences for the BBC's UK public services. The trust must review each BBC service which has a service licence at least once every five years and consult publicly.

Patricia Hodgson, a BBC trustee, said: "The trust must ensure that the BBC provides distinctive, high-quality services to everyone in the UK. BBC.co.uk supports the BBC remit with a large website, covering a wide range of subjects including news, sport, weather, learning, entertainment, children's and lifestyle."

Last year a group of commercial media owners including Associated Newspapers, the Commercial Radio Companies Association, The Newspaper Society, News International, and the Telegraph Group lobbied against giving the BBC only one service licence for the whole of BBC online, claiming this allowed the BBC to launch multiple online services without scrutiny.

Earlier this year the BBC was forced to close its interactive learning service BBC Jam for 5- to 16-year-olds following a decision by the BBC Trust, with a cost of up to 200 jobs.

The service licence for bbc.co.uk is available on the BBC Trust website.